The Boundary Waters 2020 Trip Report is finally here! Every summer for the pastten years, I’ve taken a trip to the Boundary Waters with my dad and a mixed group of friends and family members. With all of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we were unsure what the trip would look like up to two weeks before we left. What was supposed to be our first-ever trip to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, turned into a last minute trip to Lake Insula. Regardless, it was a trip for the books! If you’re more of a visual person, check out the trip report video here!
We left Wisconsin on Saturday and drove straight to Ely, arriving by 4:30 PM. In years past, our group would drive through the night and arrive in Ely in the middle of the night. Then, we would sleep in our truck, buy bait at 5:00 AM, and head to the landing form there. This year, we checked into the Voyageur North Bunkhouse, had a burger from the Boat House, played cards, and went to bed early, planning to travel into the Boundary Waters the following day.
Sunday: The Trip In
The 4:30 AM alarm came early! We were packed up and ready to go by 5:00 AM when Voyageur North opened. Steve and I bought a pound and a half of leeches for this trip. You can check out the fishing report write-up I did here to see just how well we did with the leeches!
We arrived at Entry Point 30 leading into Lake One and were off the landing by 6:30 AM. The first trip I took to the BWCA, when I was in 6th grade, started from this entry point and so it remains one of my favorites.
I forgot about how sweet the air is in the Boundary Waters. The natural, fresh smell of the pine trees at the edge of the lakes and the forest behind them is unmistakable.
We traveled from Lake One to Lake Two, then Lake Three, Lake Four, Hudson, and finally, into Lake Insula. There were five small portages along the route and only one large portage — the hilly portage leading into Insula. It’s incredible to see how different the area looks after the fires in 2010. We came through in 2003 and I remember the hilly portage into Insula was covered with tall, towering trees. Then we traveled to Lake Three in 2011, and the area was barren. Now, the area has started to recover, but will need much more time until it returns to the way it used to be.
We had the wind at our backs on the way in and were truly shocked by how quickly we flew across Lake Four. We got into Lake Insula and spent some time searching for a campsite. This is always tough — everyone’s a little cranky and tired, ready to finish paddling for the day and find some rest. By 3:30 PM we found our campsite just north west of The Rock, just behind the sixty foot hole in the lake. We had to find a place to put four tents this year, but with a little creativity it wasn’t an issue.
The bugs were relentless while we were setting up. We had a few different repellent options: heavy Deet spray, light Deet spray, and Lemon Eucalyptus Spray. We tried combinations of all three, but that didn’t stop the gnats, flies, and mosquitoes from chewing through my socks and completely decimating my ankles.
Many of our habits are rooted in tradition. We used to bring steaks for the first night, but have since opted for brats and mashed potatoes, if for no other reason than to save some weight. Six pounds of steak seemed a tad excessive. After setting up camp, filling bags of water to feed through the gravity filter, rigging fishing poles, and organizing sleeping bags and pads, a warm dinner and an early bedtime always cap off the long first day of our trip.
Monday: The Career Fishing Day.
As brats and potatoes have become the “first night in” dinner tradition, so too has eggs and bacon become the “first real morning” breakfast! Surprisingly enough, in all of the years we’ve been bringing eggs, we’ve never broken one. Each person gets ⅙ of the pan of the scrambler, normally on top of a bagel or a piece of bread. There are few better ways to start the day in the Boundary Waters.
Steve and I went out fishing around 10:30 AM, and a large storm rolled in around 11:00AM. You can watch the fishing report video of our career fishing day here!
Monday’s dinner was a new addition to the menu: chili with ground venison and sun-dried tomatoes. Each one of us had heaps of the delicious chili and the warm meal was just what we needed after a day in and out of the rain.
We caught walleye, smallmouth bass, and northerns on Monday, primarily in 10 to 12 feet of water. We exclusively used chartreuse jigs, leeches, and slip bobbers. Between the six fishermen at camp, we kept five walleye to eat for lunch the next day.
Tuesday: Camp Day
After the craziness of the previous days fishing, we enjoyed slowing the trip down a little and relaxed at camp after a breakfast of oatmeal and pop-tarts. We ventured out fishing again around noon, back to the same spot as the night before, but the fishing was slow, netting only one walleye and one small smallmouth.
We made up for not catching any walleye in the morning by eating the best walleye you’ll ever have. Added to the long list of BWCA traditions, our group brings two yellow onions and onion ring mix to turn the fish dinner into a feast. We cook on a one-burner propane stove, so we cook the onion rings first as an appetizer and the fish second. This year, we tried a meal of walleye coated in Zatarain’s Shore Lunch. With a hint of cajun seasoning, this meal was out of this world — and would definitely sell for $15.99 at any local supper club.
Wednesday: Exploring Williamson Island
Every year, we set out on a day trip to see something new and fish a place we haven’t been. This year, we stopped at Williamson Island on our way through Lake Insula. You can watch a video of the exploration here , and read about the history of the island from this post .
The weather was beautiful on Wednesday, but the waves and wind were something else. We turned into the waves on our way to the island and battled against whitecaps the entire way there. Fighting the waves made me remember a story from a trip in 2018 when we were coming off of Lac La Croix. A storm hit our campsite as we were packing up at 4:30 AM and delayed our leaving due to lightning. After the lightning had passed, we left, having a huge trip out to do in one day. The waves were massive that morning, the worst I’ve ever seen. I remember our canoe getting to the top of a wave, hanging in the air for a moment, and then diving down the back side. I couldn’t paddle on the way down the back side of the waves and was resigned to holding still and balancing so we didn’t tip. The next wave would then break over the side of the boat onto my lap, drenching me and our gear.
Once on the way out during that storm we had to pull off to the shoreline and sponge out the water in the bottom of the boat. It was more dangerous than we realized when we left camp, but thankfully we made it off of the big water of Lac La Croix and onto smaller lakes for the rest of the trip home.
Getting back to Lake Insula, the fishing on Wednesday wasn’t great. We had a beautiful, bright, sunny day, and while it was the perfect day to be on the water, it wasn’t a good day to catch fish. We didn’t catch a single thing on our day trip and ended up back at camp after the evening fishing trip with only three total walleye. It was at this point in the trip that we decided to try something new.
Thursday: Early Morning Fishing and Pancakes!
Thursday morning brought about a change in tactics. We set the alarm for 5:00 AM and were on the water by 5:15. We paddled in the rain to the spot near the narrows where we had great luck on Monday, and caught two fish there, before moving west on the lake.
Lightning flashed across the sky as we were making our way toward some interesting fishing structure, so we took a detour and landed on a familiar campsite, one we stayed on in 2014. Upon pulling up to the campsite and walking a part of the sandy beach nearby, we found one of the coolest BWCA discoveries of any trip… Moose tracks! I’ve always wanted to see a moose while on a trip, and although we didn’t see it on the beach, finding the moose tracks was a reminder that sometimes you forget that nature is a lot closer than you think on these trips.
After the storm cleared up, we ventured back out onto the lake and caught a total of twelve fish that morning, including an 18'’ and 20'’ smallmouth. The fight of a smallmouth is second to none!
After we returned to camp, satisfied with our early morning of fishing, we treated ourselves to a huge pancake breakfast. The sun was now shining, the coffee was piping hot, and we ate seemingly endless amounts of pancakes with syrup and raspberry jam. After cleaning up, I was more than content to sit in the sun and relax, having already done the hard fishing for the morning.
That evening, we had another fish dinner before heading out to fish. This time, we used a homemade mixture of cornmeal, flour, lemon pepper, and salt to coat the fish. It wasn’t as spicy as the Zatarain’s, but was equally delicious.
Friday: Wrapping Up
Because of Thursday’s morning fishing success, we decided to try our luck again early Friday morning. This was some of the hardest fishing of the trip. It was sheeting rain as we got out onto the water, and being instantly soaked meant we were instantly cold.
“You know it’s bad when you dip your hands in the lake and they feel decidedly warmer,” Steve said.
We were out by 5:15, and back in the tent by 6:45. We tried our best, but catching only two walleye in the sheeting rain, we decided to call our Lake Insula fishing there and we were back asleep by 7:00 AM.
The rest of Friday was spent around camp, enjoying the moment and getting ready to head out. The last full day of the trip is always a tough one — you never want the trips to end. After planing, preparing, and working so hard to get to your camp, the last thing you want to do is pack up and head home. It’s sad to see the trip come to a close, but after a week in the wilderness, a hot shower does start to sound appealing.
We had Bear Creek Chipotle Mac and Cheese for lunch, and our chef added a full white onion to the mix. It was delicious — I plan to pick some up and try it out on my next camping trip.
After lunch, we relaxed, drank, and enjoyed the company. We broke down fishing poles, put away fishing electronics, and packed clothes packs. Then, we ended the day with one last campfire. Sitting around the fire enjoying time with friends as the sun set out over the lake was the perfect end to an unforgettable trip. Wise words once spoken by my great Uncle apply perfectly here: “It would take a lot of this to kill a guy.”
You can see the video recap of the trip here! As I wind down on BWCA 2020 content, I’m moving into Wisconsin State Park content! If you have a recommendation of a park you think I should visit, or an idea of a fun socially-distanced summer activity I should try, please leave a comment!
Thanks so much for reading. Get out there, stay safe, and remember: Always Live Wild.
Originally published at https://alwayslivewild.com on July 1, 2020.
